Construction workers face many hazards at the worksite. One of the hazards workers face is the risk of impalement on exposed concrete reinforcement bars, or rebars. Rebars are steel shafts imbedded in concrete to increase the strength of the concrete composite in tension, as concrete is weaker in tension than in compression. It is not uncommon during the construction of a concrete structure, for example a foundation, for a first end of a rebar to be imbedded in the concrete while a second end projects from the poured concrete. Contact with the exposed end of the rebar can result in serious injury, including impalement.
To prevent impalement, it is known in the art to attach a plastic cap to an exposed end of a rebar. This is a generally acceptable solution where, as in the case of contact with a horizontally projecting rebar, the forces applied to the cap are limited. The plastic cap is typically less successful in preventing serious injury where significant forces are applied to the cap, such as when, for example, a construction worker falls onto a cap attached to a vertically projecting rebar.
It is therefore also known in the art to attach a steel plate or bar to a cap disposed over an exposed end of a rebar to reduce the impalement risk. Occasionally, the steel plate is permanently imbedded in the cap. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,568,708 and 5,313,757. Other times, the bar or plate is releasably secured to the cap. See U.S. Pat. No. 5,363,618. Still other times, the plate is secured between a cover and the cap. See U.S. Pat. No. 5,613,336.
The present invention is directed to further improvements in safety systems.